The Dead Prince Read online

  "Yes, that's exactly what happened," Zack replies, wondering why Amy lied to protect him. His stomach churns with the thought that he could have exposed his family by saving Amy — though if he had a chance to do it again, he knew he wouldn't hesitate.

  "Now that we've gotten what happened out of the way," Buchanan says, "I'll ask you again. How do you feel?"

  "A little better, I suppose. The headache and the body pains are starting to subside."

  "Feeling any different besides that?"

  "Well... yes, but I'm not sure how to describe it."

  This seems to intrigue Buchanan. "Bad or good?"

  "I'm not entirely sure. Good, I think. Like I tapped into something I've never had access to before. I'll let you know once I have a little more time to think."

  Buchanan studies him seriously for almost half a minute before he says, "Fair enough. If you remember anything else, or if you continue to feel different, please let me know before you speak to anyone else. You and Olivia need to keep a low profile in the coming months. And please allow your body to mend naturally. I'll let your family know that you're awake."

  Dr. Buchanan excuses himself from the room. Olivia sprints into the room a moment later. "Zack! Are you okay?" She gives her brother a big hug.

  "Wow, sis. It's good to see you, but you're killing my ribs."

  "Oh! Sorry! I'm just happy to see you."

  "Zack, my boy! How are you?" Jim asks as he and Isabelle enter the room.

  "I'm all right, Dad."

  Isabelle gently kisses Zack on the forehead. "It's good to have you back."

  Zack quietly tells them what Dr. Buchanan said, and how he's going to adopt Amy's version of what happened. Isabelle looks at her husband with a worried expression, then back at Olivia and Zack. "Can we trust her?" she asks.

  "Of course," Zack says. "I'll talk to her."

  "I agree," Olivia says. "I think she's more confused than anything. And she's already lied to protect us."

  Zack's left arm shivers under the blankets. His healing and skin-regeneration powers are acting up. He keeps smiling at his family as they talk, while he concentrates on regulating the healing. He takes a deep breath, and prepares to experience the sharpest pain he's ever felt in his life.

  ❖❖❖

  Amy wakes up with her heart pounding furiously. Her skin and sheets are damp with sweat. She worries that she's losing her mind, or suffering from some sort of PTSD, which is not only causing her to have recurring dreams about this character named Zec but also making her mind churn all day with questions about the fire.

  Why did Zec start appearing in her dreams right after the fire? Could it be that Zec and Zack are connected in some strange way — or are even the same person? Actually, that seems right, somehow.

  She lifts her arms above her head and stretches. Maybe if she keeps drawing pictures of what she dreamt of when she wakes up — which she's been doing all week — she might eventually discover some hidden detail that can help her unravel at least part of the mystery.

  Just then, her phone buzzes. Sure enough, it's Mike: a text with a smiley-face emoji and the message, Morning, see you in 25 minutes max!

  Amy takes a quick shower, gets dressed, and puts on a little makeup. She's about to open the front door when she hears Mike's car horn. When she climbs in, moments later, he surprises her with a bouquet of carnations. "These are for you to give to Zack when you see him at the hospital," Mike says.

  "That's sweet of you to do that for him," she says, a little befuddled by Mike's gesture. She kisses him on the cheek.

  "It's not sweet," Mike scoffs. "Guys don't do sweet things for each other, except to impress their girlfriends." He glances at her sidelong. "Is it working?"

  On the way to the hospital, Mike makes Amy laugh with his stories about his grandfather. Apparently the old man liked to drink cod liver oil straight out of the bottle, and refused to let his wife cook breakfast for him because he preferred to eat pinto beans with ketchup poured into the can.

  "Mike, I think I'm going to need to talk to Zack alone," Amy says, when there's a break in the conversation. "Then we can go get some breakfast, okay?"

  As she expected, Mike seems a little taken aback by her request. Then he shrugs. "Okay, just call me when you're ready to leave."

  They drive the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. Amy gets a visitor's pass from the receptionist at the front desk. Clutching Mike's bouquet, she heads upstairs, and her heart accelerates as she approaches Zack's room. She wonders why she's nervous, and after a moment realizes it's because she's excited to see him.

  She knocks on the door and opens it. Zack's parents and Olivia are sitting beside his bed. "Hi, dear," Zack's mom says.

  Olivia gives Amy a hug, then looks back at her parents. "Hey, I'm starving," she says. "Why don't we hit the cafeteria?"

  Zack's parents glance at each other. "That's a great idea," Mr. Parker says. "But how about Harper's Diner instead?" He winks at Amy. "Food's a lot better."

  "Yes!" Olivia exclaims. "Much better than hospital food."

  Olivia and her parents say their goodbyes, leaving Amy alone with Zack. She fusses with Mike's bouquet, carefully arranging it in a vase with a half-dozen roses. At first she can't bear to look him in the eye, but his smile draws her in, and she smiles back, dazed for a moment by how good-looking he is. To her surprise, he slowly gets up from the bed, and they stand looking at each other in awkward silence. "It's good to see you. You look great," Zack finally says.

  "Only because of you." Impulsively, Amy pulls him into a warm embrace. "I never got a chance to say thank you." For the first time since the incident, she feels safe and at peace. She takes his hand, and they sit on the bed. Amy takes a deep breath. "I have so many questions, and I don't know where to start."

  "Fire away," Zack says. He waits for a moment, then senses her hesitation. "Before you ask, yes, Olivia and I are Euperians. Our parents were servants to a royal stationed here on Earth."

  Eyes wide, she gasps, "Your parents are Euperian?"

  "Well, yes, and no. My biological parents were, but the ones you know are completely Earth human. They adopted us when I was seven and Olivia was five."

  "And your biological parents … they're dead?" Amy asks.

  Zack shakes his head. "I have no idea. We don't even remember them because of some trauma we suffered. To be honest. I don't even know their names. Mom and Dad are our parents now."

  "What are your... powers?"

  "Well, I can see into people's minds... but I usually don't." Zack smiles. "Except for Olivia's, of course. It drives her crazy. I can also gather energy from my body and my surroundings and release it in a concentrated pulse. Oh, and my skin is pretty much impervious to fire, and my wounds heal quickly."

  "And what can Olivia do?"

  "She can gather and project energy like me. She can communicate telepathically with a person as long as she can see them. With me, she can communicate telepathically anytime, anywhere. She can also transport a projection of herself to wherever I am."

  Amy nods. "What do you remember about that night? All I can remember is looking up and seeing the roof collapse. I closed my eyes, knowing it was over. But when I woke up, you were unconscious and I was practically untouched."

  "With the help of my sister's powers, I found you trapped under a pair of metal beams. One of them had gone through your shoulder. You'd lost a lot of blood, and... and you didn't have a pulse. I didn't know what to do, so I put my hand on your wound... and somehow I healed it. Then I woke up here. Honestly, I didn't know I had that kind of power."

  Amy nods. She looks down at her hands. "Zack, have you ever heard of a brother and sister named Zec and Odilia?" she asks.

  "No. Why?"

  "I've been dreaming about them since you saved me. They look a lot like you and Olivia, and they have the same powers you describe."

  "I've never heard those names before," Zack says honestly.

  After a brief mo
ment of silence, Zack takes a deep breath and squeezes Amy's hand. "Amy, Olivia and I are unregistered aliens, and even worse, we're registered as humans. With our kind being hunted, if what happened gets out, we'll be deported to Azha, and our parents will be treated as terrorists and traitors. Can you promise me that you'll keep quiet about this?"

  "Of course."

  Chapter 7

  Blake Johnson, a well-built young man with a tattoo sleeve on his left arm, has been Jim Parker's only employee outside the family for the past couple of years. Money is tight at the mechanic's shop, which would have gone out of business if not for the relatively steady streams of income provided by the electric charge pods and the lone gas pump outside; but Blake has an uncanny ability when it comes to fixing anything that runs on electricity or gasoline. Zack, who has been helping out at his father's shop since his freshman year of high school, has learned a lot under Blake's tutelage. The pair have become so close that their friendship could be characterized as brotherly.

  Blake is working in the back of the shop when he notices the lights of a car pulling up to the self-service charge station. He takes a closer look, but doesn't recognize the sparkling new blue vehicle, so he walks up front and sees Zack entering the shop. They extend their arms wide and hug each other. "For a guy who almost died, you look great," Blake says.

  "Thanks again for visiting," Zack replies with a smile. "It really cheered me up."

  "Not a problem. I see you went full electric this time," Blake says, as he looks admiringly at Zack's new ride.

  "Yeah, it was the only way to go. No way we could afford the taxes and permits for a new gas-powered car."

  "Don't worry, you'll love it, especially the self-driving mode." Blake stops and looks at his friend. "So what's up? You seem different somehow."

  "Honestly? I feel different. I feel so tired for some reason. It's like I'm carrying around all these emotions from different people."

  Blake cocks his head.

  "Yeah, it sounds weird, but I don't know how else to put it. And the reporters won't stop calling. They're even camping outside the house and hassling us every time we come home or leave. Dad told Mom he was going to dig up his gun and drive them off."

  "Jim has a gun?"

  "I doubt it, though he's said that giving up our right to bear arms was one of our biggest mistakes. That said, he's not one for breaking the law. He won't even jaywalk."

  Blake laughs. "I need to get a battery in the shop working before I close. Want to help?"

  "Sure, anything to keep me busy so I can keep my mind off the reporters and all the stuff I've gone through," Zack says. He follows Blake through to the workshop in back, and picks up a megger to get a readout on the drained battery.

  Jim had told Blake that Zack wasn't taking the "hero" thing too well. Zack's always been a quiet, unassuming kid who keeps to himself and whose only real friend beside Blake is his sister. But Blake senses that whatever happened in that fire has awoken the real Zack. That's good in one way, but disappointing in another. Just before the fire, Blake was on the verge of finally revealing the truth to his friend. But telling him now would put too much unwanted pressure on the boy.

  He reminisces about the day he became Zack's Guardian.

  ❖❖❖

  Blair sprints through the desert, running from the Cerns. Occasionally, he looks back to gauge the distance between him and his pursuers. The Cerns are hairless predators with gray hides; with their powerful molars, they can crunch through bones with gusto, especially if their prey has made them run for their meal. Blair knows he can handle a small pack of three or four Cerns, but certainly not the dozen or more that have been chasing him for the past few days.

  But Blair has trained for this type of scenario his entire life. His people, the Atiru, "the Guardians of Kings," chose him over many other formidable candidates to be the protector of Zec, the future king of the Euperian people of Azha. Now he just has to pass his final test.

  His legs feel increasingly heavy as he continues sprinting. Every step forward in the sand requires a greater exertion of will. He looks up at the formations of clouds in the sky, hoping his senses are correct. Yes, a storm is approaching.

  While glancing upward, though, he trips over a dead tree trunk concealed by the sand, and almost but not quite face-plants as skids to a stop on the sand. Wincing, dazed, he wonders whether this is where he's destined to die. It's been twelve days since he embarked without food or water on this perilous journey. He's battled for his life against many adversaries during those twelve days.

  Lightning strikes nearby bring him back to his senses. The pack of Cerns is only a few dozen meters away. He leaps to his feet and takes a deep breath to steel himself as the Cerns close in and form a circle around their prey. Blair draws his sword, kneels, scoops up a handful of sand, and appeals for strength from the gods. He opens his hand, flinging it forward, and the sand flies away. The alpha Cern roars, signaling the beginning of the attack. Blair is ready. He knows that one Cern will start the attack, and the others will join in one at a time until the prey is overwhelmed. The first creature approaches slowly, then swiftly charges Blair.

  Providentially, the gods answer Blair's call. A bolt of lightning strikes the ground between the Cern and Blair, hitting the dead log in the sand that Blair had tripped over. A burst of flame erupts, and the Cern immediately stops, rearing back in fear. Before it can recover, Blair swipes off the beast's head with one mighty swing of his preternaturally sharp sword. With his free hand, Blair summons the power to control fire — a gift his ancestors have passed down to his kind for centuries. He surrounds himself with a circle of flames and thanks the gods for their help. The Cerns abandon their formation and regroup around the ring of fire.

  Blair smiles. He raises his hand and directs the flames at two of the Cerns, driving them back. When they turn their heads from the heat, Blair pulls the fire back toward himself and dashes through the retreating flames. He leaps into the air with his dagger and sword, one in each hand, and simultaneously stabs both Cerns in the head.

  He pulls the blades from the dead bodies and stares at the pack leader. The startled creature watches Blair dive back into the flames. With meek snarls, the vile things signal their retreat.

  As night settles in and the winds get stronger, Blair prepares for the approaching storm. He looks around and sees a green light in the distance. He sprints toward the light, which leads him to the opening of a cave. At the cave's entrance, Blair kneels and places his backpack in front of him. He takes out a long cloth, wraps it around his left arm, and soaks it with liquid from a plastic tube. He opens his right hand, gathers energy, and sets the cloth aflame. The burning cloth feels a little warm, but that's all; immunity to fire is part of his gift.

  He walks into the cave with the torch on his left arm illuminating the way. This has to be the final stage of his quest for guardianship status. He walks down a pathway flanked by paintings on the walls that depict his people's history. The path opens to a vast chamber, glowing with a fiery orange. Stalactites hang from the ceiling; stalagmites and steam rise from the ground.

  Blair is drawn to a red, glowing glass vial lying atop a pillar in the middle of the chamber. He reaches for the vial, which glows brighter when he touches it. The chamber begins to quake. His instincts urge him to run; instead, he studies the curious drawings etched on the vial. The drawings appear to depict his journey over the past twelve days, ending with his entrance into the cave.

  When the chamber stops shaking, Blair slowly turns around to see a group of Atiru elders. He kneels before them.

  "We all are chosen for a purpose," the oldest of them says. His eyes turn a golden color. "Drink the blood and Essence of the one you are destined to protect."

  Blair lifts the vial to his lips and drains its contents. His head begins to spin as the elders chant in unison. He drops to the ground, and sees that the cave is engulfed in flames. He tries to get up, but some strange force holds him down.


  One of the elders places a necklace around Blair's neck. "You have been chosen."

  Blair enters a cosmic trance. He can feel another presence within him. A profound, unassailable connection is forged between him and the young boy who would be king, Zec son of Uphu.

  Blair has become Zec's Guardian. His life's work has only just begun.

  Chapter 8

  Angelica Varras looks up at the sky and over her shoulder as she walks toward her house. Since the passage of the Alien Exclusion Act, she just can't seem to shake off the feeling of being followed. At the front door, she pauses to take one more look around before she places her hand on the door's fingerprint scanner. The door unlocks and she walks into the kitchen.

  "Did you guys eat yet?" Angelica shouts to Eddie, who's in the living room with his friends.

  "Yeah, we ordered pizza and wings from Domihut," her younger brother shouts back. "There's leftovers in the oven if you're hungry."

  Angelica places the groceries on the kitchen table and starts putting things away. When she finishes, she grabs the remaining slices of pizza from the oven, puts them on a plate, and heads down to the basement. As she walks toward the back of the basement, the sensory lights flicker on. She pushes down on a red brick that causes a shelf against the wall to slide aside, revealing a doorway. When she walks inside, she's greeted by her older brother Khary.

  "Food! I'm starving," he says.

  "Hello to you, too!" Angelica says. She smiles at her brother and CJ, another member of the Resistance. "Any updates?" she asks as she walks to the table where Khary and CJ sit surrounded by glowing screens.

  "Oh, yes," Khary says without taking his eyes from the monitors. "Our agents have informed us that Eza and her protector are on their way to Port Jervis, and from these recordings, we can now definitely say that the two have reconnected."

  "You're sure?" Angelica asks.

  "Yes! Everything suggests that our king lives in Port Jervis."

  Angelica hugs her brother. As she straightens, the house rocks violently, knocking her over and spilling the two boys from their chairs. With an overwhelming sense of dread, Angelica looks at the surveillance screens and sees UN Special Task Force soldiers in black exoskeletons entering the house through the blown-out front door.